Bodrum Blue
by jago-ji
Summary: Maybe they don't remember that time years ago, but Ranger and Stephanie had met, and inspired, each other long before that fateful August day in that no-name diner when Ranger became Professor Higgins to Stephanie's Eliza. Here's that story, inspired by a Subaru commercial, of all things.
1. Chapter 1

Maybe they don't remember that time years ago, but Ranger and Stephanie had met, and inspired, each other long before that fateful August day in that no-name diner when Ranger became Professor Higgins to Stephanie's Eliza. Here's that story, inspired by a Subaru commercial, of all things.

_AN: As usual, I'm not making any money from my obsession with Ranger, just borrowing him for the occasional fantasy and fanfic story. I've been out of the fanfic loop for a while, first finishing This Never Happened II with my writing partners, and then writing my first original novel. _

_My debut book, Condor Moon, a romantic suspense novel, has just been published and is available for ereaders at most online retailers, and in paperback from Amazon. Just search for it by title or follow the links from my author's website, which is listed on my FF profile page. I hope you give it a try. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this little one-shot about our two favorite characters when they were matriculating teenagers._

Steam was roiling up off the asphalt of the roadway, clear evidence of both the high humidity and the simmering heat of another miserable late summer day in Newark. It was sure to rain later. The smell of that potentiality wafted through the thick humid Jersey air.

He was late for class, as usual, hence the speeding. As the young man sped down Ryders Lane, he kept an eye peeled for patrol cars, hyper aware of his surroundings. He couldn't afford another ticket. All his available funds went to tuition, and gas for the car.

As for his car, he looked through the cracked windshield out across the dented hood of his beat up Ford Taurus. The paint was mostly worn away, replaced with rough patches of rust and corrosion. He grimaced every time the sharp _bang_ of a backfire exploded through the muffler, jettisoning a black cloud of smoke along with noxious fumes. He couldn't even see out the rear window; it was covered with a thick layer of caked on dust. Between his job as a night watchman and his full load of classes, he never had any free time. Sighing to himself, he vowed when he made it big he would never drive anything but the finest of vehicles. Maybe something German like BMW or Porsche. And black. Clean shiny black. No more dirty rusted splotchy gray monstrosities like the piece of shit he was driving now.

He had plans. Oh, how he had plans. He dreamed of owning his own company. He wasn't quite sure what kind of company yet, but one day he would be sitting at the top, overseeing his own corporate empire. His employees would practically bow to him out of respect as he passed them in the hallways. Maybe there would be a hint of fear, too, in their eyes. But mainly respect. Because he would have built up his empire from nothing. Nothing but sheer determination, hard work and talent. He knew he had the business sense to create and run a large successful company, and he had the ruthless drive to take it all way to the top, to a Fortune 500 company. Someday.

But today, he was late for class. Business economics, to be exact. One of his more boring classes, though none really held his interest. He was paying good money, money he had worked long hard hours for, to be able to attend college. He pressed his foot more firmly on the accelerator, still keeping a watchful eye out for patrol cars.

And that's when he saw her. She was up the road, off to his right, standing with one foot on the curb and one foot in the street, her right arm stuck out and her thumb cocked at an angle.

He was nearly past her, still looking at her, when their eyes met. A jolt of electricity shot through him. He'd never seen eyes so blue. _Bodrum blue!_

His older cousin Tomás had described that color to him one day when they were walking along the beach in Miami. Five years ago, when he was fourteen, he'd been sent to Florida to live with his grandparents because he had started getting into trouble with the neighborhood gangs in Newark. His cousin, an Army Ranger, would stop by their grandparents' house when he was in between tours of duty and spend time with his younger cousin, who wanted to be just like him when he grew up.

Tomás used to talk about this one particular place in Turkey that was close to where he'd been stationed. Bodrum was a small seaside village along the Aegean Sea, and it was where he'd lost his heart to a beautiful local girl. He would get a faraway look in his eyes when he talked about her and the town where they met, saying the color of the ocean there was different than any other color he'd ever seen. It was the deepest and most brilliant of blues, and it was the exact color of his girl's incredible blue eyes. He called her his Bodrum babe. And as much as he loved her, he knew he couldn't promise her a life with him because as an Army Ranger, he never knew when the next mission might be his last. And he wouldn't put someone he loved through that agony.

The young boy had absorbed everything his uncle told him about life, and especially about girls. And he had never forgotten about Tomás's Bodrum babe.

He slammed on the brakes.

He would be really late for class, but this couldn't wait. _She_ couldn't wait.

Whipping his head around, he saw that she was running toward his car. He was mesmerized by her. When he could finally take his eyes off of hers, he took in the rest of her. She was slim, of average height, with long straight brown hair. She was wearing a crisp white long-sleeved blouse tucked into a tight black pencil skirt, which left her long shapely legs exposed. As she approached the passenger door, he leaned over and opened it for her.

She jumped in, breathless but talking a mile a minute. "Thanks for stopping. I've never hitched a ride before, but my car broke down and I've been walking for miles. I'm going to be late for this special seminar..."

She'd just shut the passenger door and looked over at the young man behind the driver's wheel. Her rambling stopped mid-sentence, leaving her mouth hanging open, and she twisted her neck slightly, as if to scratch an itch.

She couldn't stop staring at him. He was well-built, but not overly so, and he had the deepest, darkest brown eyes she had ever gazed into. His dark hair was long enough to brush his shoulders, and it was so silky and shiny she wanted to reach over and touch it. And while she was fantasizing about stroking his hair, she also imagined stroking his smooth chocolaty cheek. His flawless skin was the color of the mocha latte she had chugged down earlier that morning. He was without a doubt the sexiest guy she'd ever seen. Her mouth was still hanging open and she was staring at him, unable to look away.

He was doing the same thing, but of course his mouth was closed, though the beginning of a grin was pulling up the corners a bit.

"I...uh... I... um..." she stammered.

Unbidden, the grin broke out across his face, showcasing one of his best features, his 200-watt smile. Even her stammering stopped as she continued to stare.

"Where are you headed?" he asked, amazed his voice was steady and hadn't cracked. His heart was beating fast and his mouth was so dry, he was surprised he could maintain his cool. Her eyes were definitely Bodrum blue, and he was thunderstruck. Normally, he'd be staring at her bare legs or her stiletto heels, but he couldn't get past those blue eyes.

"Um... the university," she managed.

"Rutgers?"

In answer, her head bobbed up and down a few times.

"That's where I'm going," he said.

"Good," was the extent of her ability to speak.

They both continued to stare at each other until she quietly said, "Shouldn't we be going?"

The 200-watt smile was back in force. Without a word he put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb into traffic. There was a loud _bang,_ and plume of black smoke boiled up from the back of the car. His head gave a slight shake and he gritted his teeth, but didn't say anything. He let his eyes slide to the right. She wasn't laughing at him, but she was definitely smiling.

"Do you go to Rutgers?" he asked, glancing her way, unable to keep from looking at her. She wasn't classically beautiful, but she was definitely stare-worthy. She had an energy about her that was contagious, and she couldn't seem to sit still. Her skin was very light, almost porcelain-like, with no freckles or blemishes to mar it. Her brown hair was sleek and straight, and fell like a waterfall around her shoulders. The color contrast of her dark brown hair made her pale skin look luminous. He had to resist the temptation to touch her hair or stroke her cheek. And not only were her eyes the bluest he'd ever seen, they also sparkled when she smiled. He didn't want to take his eyes off of her.

In answer to his question, she gave a slight head shake. "No. But there's a guy speaking there today that I want to hear. He's big in the fashion industry."

"Are you in the fashion business?"

"Not yet." She dipped her head so he couldn't see her timid grin. She was taken aback that he thought she might have some important job in fashion. She was only a sophomore at Douglass College, and not doing very well at that.

"What are you studying at Rutgers?" she asked, trying to steer him away from asking her any more embarrassing questions about herself.

"Business." he said. _Though maybe not for much longer_, he thought. He had no desire to go to his class at the moment.

"Ah. A future business tycoon?" she teased.

"You say that like it's something bad," he rejoined.

"Not at all. It's just that... the future seems so far away. How are we supposed to know now what we want to be when we're grown up? There are so many possibilities and so much can happen between now and then. I don't think I'm ready to decide on something that I could be spending the rest of my life doing."

"Isn't that what college is for? To try things out and see if you like them?" he asked.

"Not according to my parents. They think I should have it figured out already," she said, rolling her eyes. "At the rate I'm going, I don't think I ever will."

"Would that be so bad?"

"What? Just drift along from job to job? Trying things out?" she said, throwing his own words back at him.

"It's better than settling for something you don't like. That would be the kiss of death. Especially for someone like you."

"You don't even know me."

"I know enough to know you should never be tied down. You seem like the type of person who needs to stretch her wings. To get out there and fly."

_Maybe he did know her_, she mused. She reached up as if to smooth down her hair, though it was lying perfectly and smoothly in place, for once. She'd spent the better part of an hour this morning straightening her normally curly hair so that she would look polished and chic for the fashion seminar.

"Fly, huh? So, you think I should be... what? A pilot? An astronaut?" she quizzed. "Or a bird? Maybe Wonder Woman?" She gave a low throaty chuckle at her last words.

"I could see you as Wonder Woman." They both grinned. "Your name doesn't happen to be Diana, does it? As in Diana Prince," he quipped, hoping to learn her name.

She grinned again and shook her head, but didn't answer him. "As for you, you are definitely not Clark Kent. You look too confident to be a mild mannered reporter," she joked, shifting in her seat to look at him full on. "You're more like... Bruce Wayne. A young tortured soul intent on conquering his demons and the bad guys, quietly and ruthlessly."

"Ruthless?" he remarked, raising one eyebrow at her.

"Only toward the bad guys," she clarified. "I'm sure you are very kind to the good guys."

"You're sure?" he quipped. ''Looks like I have my life's work cut out for me, being Batman and all. And with you as Wonder Woman..."

"As if..." she gave an undignified snort. "The one time I tried to fly, I fell off the garage and broke my arm." She rubbed her left elbow for emphasis.

He glanced over at her. "That was just because you didn't have your Lasso of Truth with you, or maybe it was your golden bracelets," he said, reaching out and touching the bangle she was wearing on her left wrist. A spark tickled his fingers as their skin touched. He couldn't blame it on static electricity with the high humidity that drenched the air.

She rubbed her wrist as if she, too, had felt the spark of electricity when they touched. "I'll try to remember to keep both of them with me from now on out. Never know when you might need to fly or battle an enemy," she bantered. "But when I'm not being a superhero, what am I? What do I do with my life?" she asked, more to herself than to the young man sitting next to her.

He gave her a thoughtful look. "You should do whatever turns you on." And then a sly grin crossed his face as he asked, "What _does_ turn you on?"

Her cheeks turned bright red. There was one thing that she knew turned her on, and he was sitting right next to her. She replied, a little coyly, "I like anything mocha latte." She tilted her head back and laughed, as if what she'd said was the funniest thing in the world.

He liked hearing her laugh. It was a genuine hearty laugh, not the tittering most teenaged girls affected. In fact, he liked everything about her, the way she looked, the direct way she spoke her thoughts, even the way she smelled.

As they turned onto the street into the Rutgers campus, he asked, "Where do you need to go?"

"The Bove Auditorium," she replied.

"It's right up ahead," he said, disappointment in his voice, as the car in front of them came to a stop.

The campus was normally a busy place, but today it was more than busy. Hundreds of people lined the sidewalks and the main street was clogged with vehicles. Newark police officers were out in force doing double duty controlling the crowd and directing traffic. It was stop and go all the way to the auditorium.

"It's normally not this crowded," he said. "This speaker you are going to hear must be someone really big to draw this many people."

"He is THE name in fashion right now. His designs are all the rage. I just _had_ to come. And it looks like half of Jersey did, too." The young woman grabbed her purse and put her hand on the door handle. "You can let me out here. I can probably get there faster walking. Thanks for the lift," she said.

"Wait!" he almost shouted. In a panic, the young man put his hand on her arm. "What's your name? And your phone number? Maybe we can get together for coffee sometime?" That one quick touch of her skin sent a current of electricity through him and made the back of his neck tingle. He couldn't just let her walk out of his life. "I'll even buy you a mocha latte," he offered, his full on smile in force.

She laughed again but hesitated. "I'm going to be late. Again, thanks for giving me a ride. You saved my life." She pushed open the door, got out and started walking briskly down the street.

He almost leaped out of his car to follow her, but at that moment there was a break in traffic, and he was able to move forward. He pulled ahead of her, keeping her in sight, but the forward movement didn't last long. Traffic stopped again. The young woman stepped off the curb and dashed in back of his car. Grinning, he watched as she wrote her phone number in the caked on dust covering his back window. And then she slipped into the crowd.

He was still grinning as he quickly found a place to park near the building where his class was held. He was definitely late. He had to run. Finding a place in the back of the room, he quietly slid into a seat, hoping the professor hadn't noticed his tardy entrance. The long lecture went by without his notice. He was preoccupied with thoughts of a certain blue-eyed girl. When the class ended, he was the first one out the door.

As he strode across the parking lot, there was a terrific _craaack_ of thunder, and lightning lit up the sky. Within seconds, a torrential downpour started.

He looked on in horror as sheets of rain sluiced the dirt from his car and from his back window. And along with it, his Bodrum babe's phone number. Without thinking, he started running back toward the auditorium and immediately slipped in a large puddle. His pride bruised and his clothes covered in mud, he got up and continued his race across the field. The rain came down even harder, but he made it across campus in record time. By the time he reached his destination the rain had slowed to a light drizzle.

The crowd had been waiting inside Bove Auditorium for the thunderstorm to pass, and they now poured out of the building. Soon the rain-slick plaza was filled with hundreds of well-dressed and bustling people. He searched the milling masses for her, looking for her blue eyes and long straight brown hair. Many people carried umbrellas making it difficult to spot anyone. His clothes still covered in mud and his hair dripping wet, he pushed his way through the throng and stopped dozens of girls, but none of them were her. He was getting desperate as the people shoved by him trying to make their way to the waiting cars and cabs parked on the street in front of the auditorium. He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't.

Just then, the crowd of people parted and a man in an Army dress uniform walked by. He stood tall and proud, his uniform immaculate even though a light rain was still coming down. He didn't have to push or shove. People automatically made room for him to pass. He reminded the young man of his cousin. A flash of envy and then wistfulness shot through him as he watched the quiet unpretentious soldier get into a waiting SUV. The thought flashed through his mind, and not for the first time, that _that_ was what he wanted to be doing, not wasting his time going to classes that meant nothing to him.

The SUV drove away and the young man returned to his quest. The crowd had thinned out and still he couldn't find her. His heart was beating hard at the thought that he'd never see her again. Even though she'd only been in his life for a few minutes, he knew she was special. She was different. She made him feel different. She made him feel good.

He made his way to the curb and watched each person get into the waiting vehicles. There were only a couple dozen people left on the plaza. None of them was the girl with the Bodrum blue eyes. When the last person was gone, he turned toward the auditorium and even through the light drizzle of rain, he could see through the double glass doors into the lobby, and she wasn't there either. Dejected, he started the long trek back across campus.

Just before he left the sidewalk to go down a side path, something made him turn around. Several vehicles were motoring down the street on the other side of the median. And there she was...in the back seat of a minivan filled with giggling girls. The van was about to turn the corner. Her face was pressed up against the window, her Bodrum blue eyes focused on his brown eyes, a halo of bouncing brown curls framed her pale face. Then the van rounded the corner and was gone.

The next day, the young man walked in to the local US Army recruiting office. 

_AN: And so begins Ranger's journey in the military. I hope you liked my one-shot. And for another shameless plug, don't forget to check out my debut novel, Condor Moon, at any online book retailer. _


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Several of you, and especially Sophiepicklegirl, pleaded with me to write a follow-up to the one-shot, showing Ranger and Stephanie when they finally met up again as adults. This is that story. Still not making any money from this, just borrowing Higgins and Doolittle for an encore._

* * *

She pulled open the diner door and stepped outside, back into the sweltering sauna that passed for air in Jersey during the late summer. Shimmering ribbons of heat waves rose up from the asphalt, giving everything a mirage-like feel. With a deep sigh, she walked down the hot pavement to the brown Nova parked on the street in front of the diner, stumbling a little as she stepped off the curb.

It's just the heat, she told herself. But she'd felt it. A slight twinge in her heart; a skipped beat that threw her off balance. She opened the car door and sat down heavily on the driver's seat, feeling the heat of the cushion burn the backs of her legs. Keeping her eyes straight ahead, not daring to look back in case he walked out of the diner, she pulled into traffic.

A trickle of sweat ran down the side of her face and dripped off her jaw, staining her red silk blouse. A car's blaring horn warned her that she had drifted out of her lane, and she yanked the wheel to the right, thrusting her left hand out the window, middle finger up, in the Jersey salute of acknowledgment. Shaken, she turned down a side street, pulled over to the curb and put the brake on. More moisture flowed down her cheek, but this time it wasn't sweat. Letting her head fall forward, she rested it against the steering wheel. She sat like that for a while as long forgotten memories surfaced. Memories of another hot, muggy summer day and a chance meeting with a man whose skin was the color of rich mocha latte.

Why now? Why had he come back into her life now?

She had waited months for him to call her back, but he never did. Night after night, she sat by the phone, refusing to go out when her friends tried to drag her to yet another frat party or to a movie or just to go out for a burger and fries. She was so sure he 'd call. They'd had a connection. She'd felt it and she knew he had, too. But, there had been another time she'd felt a connection with a guy, had given him her virginity even, and he had never called her back either.

Another hard lesson learned. Eventually, she had put that sexy, mocha latte-skinned young man out of her mind and got on with her life. But a small part of her heart had hardened, scarred by rejection and pain.

She had pictured him as a successful business tycoon by now. After all, ten years had gone by. The man that sat across from her today at the diner was not what she had pictured. Obviously, his life hadn't gone the way either of them had imagined.

She shook her head as if to rouse herself and picked up the folder lying on the passenger seat. Opening it, she stared down at the small picture stapled to the top of the sheaves of paper within. A twinge of pain pulled at mental scar tissue as she remembered how Joseph Morelli had not only broke her heart, he had humiliated her in front of the entire Burg by writing about her "deflowering" on the bathroom wall of Mario's Sub Shop.

Finally, though, she had a chance to get even with Morelli. And if she had to use another man who had broken her heart once, too, well, she would do it without a second look back. The old trusting, naive Stephanie Plum was gone, replaced with a hard-hearted, take no prisoners, soon-to-be pistol-packing, official bond enforcement agent of the Vincent Plum Bail Bonds Company.

The ugly little car didn't seem quite as dreary now. Things were looking up. She had someone who was going to teach her the ropes of this bounty hunter thing and soon, she'd be rolling in dough. $10,000. That would go a long way toward a buying a decent car and kicking this POS to the curb. She knew she could find Morelli. She could feel it in her bones, despite what... what had he called himself?

Ranger. What a name! He was just a bounty hunter like herself, working for her perv of a cousin, Vinnie. Who did he think he was? The Lone Ranger out to make the world safe for the little people? She hadn't known his name back then, but she had fantasized that it was something romantic like Antonio Banderas or Ricardo Montalban. Not _Ranger_. Did he have a sidekick like Tonto following him around, or maybe a dwarf who shouted "_De perp. De perp_"? He certainly wasn't the glamorous and rich Bruce Wayne aka Batman that she had joked about with him all those years ago.

It didn't matter anymore. He hadn't remembered her. She obviously had meant nothing to him and now, he would mean nothing to her, except as a means to get Joe Morelli. When he told her he didn't think she could bring Morelli in, a feeling had crept over her, a fierce determination to succeed at all cost. She would show them both what she was made of; she would show the Burg what she was made of.

She wiped away the last of her tears and took the brake off. It was time to see a man about a gun.

* * *

He sat at the table for a long time. Each time the waitress came near, he shot her a glance that sent her scurrying back behind the counter. Otherwise, his face was a blank, giving away none of the roiling emotion that was tearing him up inside.

He couldn't believe it was her. He couldn't believe that she had breezed into his life a second time. His Bodrum Babe! She was as beautiful as ever, her incredible blue eyes burning a hole straight into his soul. Her brown hair was a riot of soft curls floating around her head and shoulders, just like that last glimpse he'd had of her, as the van she was in drove away from him and out of his life.

Thoughts of her had eaten away at him for months, until the rigors of Army boot camp had wiped all thoughts of his past from his mind. He learned to focus on the present and plan for the future. The past was just that—the past. It had no bearing on his life. He had plans. Big plans. And they were coming together nicely.

He had established himself in Trenton, where no one knew him. He could rewrite himself any way he chose. His experiences in the Army had shown him that a tough exterior, a commanding presence, was needed if you wanted the world to take you seriously. And he wanted to be taken seriously. He was slowly building a reputation as a tough guy, a badass bounty hunter who refused to back down from any situation, any confrontation.

Right now, he only had a small office in a nondescript building, and no staff to speak of, but plans were in the works for the purchase of an entire building. He already had it picked out. A solid seven-story brick building over on Haywood Street, in the center of town. But he needed more capital for the down payment and rehab. He was in negotiations for a long-term partnership, but the partners he was considering were a risky proposition.

They demanded complete anonymity, and a signed contract from him that required him to be available for their special projects. Those special projects required every bit of training and experience he had gained while serving as a US Army Ranger.

He didn't mind doing black ops missions for them, as long as they would financially back his business and agree to back off from "advising" him in its operations. He was insisting on complete control of the company. As long as they kept the money flowing his way, he would be content with the proposed partnership.

A glance out the diner window revealed one of the perks of merging with this top secret firm. A gleaming brand new black BMW limited production 850 Ci. He also had at his disposal a brand new Bronco, also black, complete with state-of-the-art Bird Dog tracking system. More perks were under negotiation. Soon. Soon, he would head up the corporate empire he had always envisioned running.

And then she came back into his life. The one woman he'd never been able to completely erase from his mind. That was ten years ago. He had pictured her as a successful fashion designer by now. Obviously, her life hadn't gone quite the way either of them had imagined.

He remembered telling her she should stretch her wings and fly. They had joked about being Batman and Wonder Woman. She hadn't been far off when she described him as a tortured soul conquering his demons. She'd also called him ruthless. Maybe not back then, but now, that wasn't far off the mark. The last ten years had taken its toll on him. The things he'd seen, the things he'd done. He blew out a puff of air.

If he had changed from that college kid he used to be, so had she. She had been shy and timid, but today, she had shown a tougher side, a harder side. Life hadn't been easy for her, either.

And then, he had made a lame joke about him being Professor Henry Higgins and her being Eliza Doolittle. First, a comic book reference and then historic fiction; both were literary references, but still... he groaned inwardly.

Well, he could still help her to fly, but maybe not as Wonder Woman or as My Fair Lady. Neither role model seemed quite appropriate for the gun-toting bounty hunter she needed to become if she was to catch Morelli. He shook his head. She didn't have a clue what she was doing. She also didn't have a chance in hell at bringing Morelli in. But maybe he could help her stay alive and in one piece.

Why now? Why had she dropped into his life now? His life wasn't his own and wouldn't be for several years to come.

Once this partnership was finalized, he'd have the necessary capital to begin RangeMan Enterprises. He would be up to his ears in building the new company from scratch. Also, he could be called up and have to go overseas at the drop of a hat. The security business along with bounty hunting was dangerous enough, but his covert black ops missions were another level of danger all unto themselves. There was always the chance he wouldn't return and no one, not even his family, would ever know what had happened to him. That was another part of the contract. Complete secrecy, in perpetuity.

There was no way he could allow himself to get involved in a relationship. Not now. Maybe not ever. He inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly. Since she hadn't recognized him, he could never let her know. His Bodrum Babe would have to be just another secret, a part of his past that never existed.

He stood up, threw down some bills and strode out of the diner. It was time to see a man about a gun for his Babe.

* * *

_AN: I hoped you enjoyed this brief glimpse into Ranger and Steph's lives. If you liked this story, why don't you check out my debut novel, Condor Moon. Just follow the link on my profile page to my website or look up Condor Moon online at your favorite book retailer. _


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